Tool holder for manlift

ABSTRACT

A tool holding device consists of a mounting bracket with tool holding attachments affixed to the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket is secured to a surface, such as the rail of a man lift, through a clamp. The clamp consists of threaded apertures and bolts located on the mounting bracket. When the bolts are rotated, the internal portion of the bolt moves closer to the surface until the device is frictionally stabilized. After the device is securely mounted to a surface, the user may hang tools from the tool holding attachments.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is broadly directed towards the fields of electrical engineering, utility maintenance, and any other field which may benefit from a tool holder that is attachable to a rail or similar structure. Specifically, the invention is directed towards a tool holder that is attachable to the rail of a man lift.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The art is replete with hydraulically powered lifts that are used to elevate individuals to otherwise inaccessible locations. These lifts are customarily attached to vehicles and are often referred to as “man lifts”. They are used to perform telephone repairs, electrical repairs, building inspection, painting, cleaning, and for other purposes. An example of such a hydraulically powered lift can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,776,367. It is often the case that a worker, inspector, or other user of the lift must bring multiple tools with them in order to perform whatever task that they are required to perform. Without a device to hold the tools, the worker being lifted must store the tools on the floor of the lift or on his or her person. Therefore, there is a need for a device that can attach to the rails of a man lift that allows for multiple tools to be held.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tool holding device that is attachable to the rails of a man lift.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tool holding device that is capable of holding multiple tools of various types.

In accordance with the foregoing objects, a tool holding device for attachment to the rail of a man lift is set forth. The tool holding device consists of a mounting bracket with one or more tool holding attachments affixed to it. The bracket additionally contains one or more threaded apertures which, when combined with the appropriate bolts, enable the tool holding device to be clamped to a rail or other surface. This sort of clamp is commonly referred to as a “C-clamp”. To attach the device to a rail, the user need only place the bracket over the rail and then rotate the bolts until the device is tightly secured to the rail.

In a preferred embodiment, the tool holding attachment that is affixed to the brackets consists of multiple upwardly extending hooks and a U-shaped supporting bracket extending from the mounting bracket. The U-shaped supporting bracket forms a rectangular opening through which large tools, such as grinders, may be hung securely. Wrenches and other smaller tools with handles may hang from the hooks. In an alternative embodiment, the mounting bracket includes only one threaded aperture, and the tool holding attachment consists of one U-shaped supporting bracket attached to the mounting bracket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention with tools hanging from the tool holding attachments.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention, shown with two grinders hanging from the U-shaped supporting bracket.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention which illustrates the clamping bolt.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is involves a tool holding device 10 that is mountable to the rail 14 of a man lift. The invention allows the users of a man lift to conveniently store tools for later use. The inventor contemplates that the device may be attached to other surfaces as well.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, a preferred embodiment of the tool holding device 10 is set forth. The device consists of a mounting bracket 12 with various tool-holding attachments (18, 20) affixed to it. The device 10 is secured to a surface, such as the rail 14 of a man lift, through two threaded apertures 17 with inserted bolts 16. To mount the device to a rail 14, the user need only insert the open portion of the mounting bracket 12 onto the top surface of a rail 14 and rotate the bolts 16 inwards until the internal ends of the bolts 16 are tightly compressed against the rail 14. The tool holding device 10 will then be stably secured for use. In a preferred embodiment, two upwardly extending hooks 20 and a U-shaped supporting bracket 18 are affixed to the mounting bracket to hang tools. Referring to FIG. 3, it can be seen that these tool-holding attachments (18, 20) allow for a variety of tools such as wrenches 22 and grinders 26 to be hung from the device 10. The U-shaped supporting bracket 18 is designed for larger tools while the hooks 20 allow for smaller tools to be held.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, an alternative embodiment of the tool holding device 30 is set forth. In this embodiment, the mounting bracket 32 is secured to a rail or other surface using only a single threaded aperture 37 and bolt 36. The bolt 36 additionally has a winged handle 39 affixed to it in order to allow the bolt 36 to be rotated more easily. In this embodiment, the only tool-holding attachment is a larger U-shaped support bracket 38 which may be used to store a variety of tools.

The present invention has been described with reference to the above discussed preferred embodiments. The true nature and scope of the invention is to be determined with reference to the attached claims. 

1. A tool holding device for a man lift comprising: a mounting bracket with a clamp for attaching to a surface, such as a rail; and a plurality of tool holding attachments affixed to said mounting bracket.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein the clamp comprises a plurality of threaded apertures and bolts inserted therein which, when rotated, cause pressure to be applied to a surface, thus frictionally securing the bracket to the surface.
 3. The device of claim 2 wherein the bolts have twistable winged handles.
 4. The device of claim 2 wherein the tool holding attachment consists of one U-shaped supporting bracket from which tools may be hung.
 5. The device of claim 2 wherein the tool holding attachments consist of a plurality of curved, upwardly extending hooks and a U-shaped supporting bracket from which tools may be hung.
 6. A tool holding device for a man lift comprising: a mounting bracket with a plurality of threaded apertures; a plurality of winged bolts which may be used in conjunction with the threaded apertures of the mounting bracket to clamp the tool holding device to a surface; a U-shaped supporting bracket affixed to the mounting bracket from which tools may be hung; and a plurality of curved, upwardly extending hooks affixed to the mounting bracket from which tools may be hung.
 7. A tool holding device for a man lift comprising: a mounting bracket with a threaded aperture; a winged bolt which may be used in conjunction with the threaded aperture of the mounting bracket to clamp the tool holding device to a surface; and a U-shaped supporting bracket affixed to the mounting bracket from which tools may be hung. 